Safe parking program for homeless closes

VISTA  A program that allowed homeless people to park and sleep in their cars on the grounds of a Vista church closed Wednesday, despite the church’s argument that the city was infringing on its religious freedoms by prohibiting the arrangement.

Vista officials ordered the program closed earlier this month, saying it violated zoning rules for the Crestview Road property. Several neighbors of Cornerstone Church had also complained about the homeless parking there.

Teresa Smith, CEO of Dreams for Change, said her organization decided to close the Safe Parking Program because participants were no longer safe at the location.

“The neighbors started to become very aggressive towards the participants, the church and the volunteers,” Smith said on Thursday.

Smith said neighbors yelled obscenities at the homeless and volunteers and made angry phone calls to the church.

City officials said they were glad organizers decided to close the program.

“After hearing from the neighbors and better understanding the city’s rules, the church made their decision,” Vista spokeswoman Andrea McCullough said in written statement. “The city is pleased that the Cornerstone Church came into compliance with the city’s zoning regulations.”

The program first began using the parking lot at more than a year ago but closed after the city said it wasn’t allowed there and fined the church.

In April, the program started again at request of church officials because people were showing up, looking for a place to park.

City officials stepped in again last month after receiving complaints from residents that homeless people were wandering the neighborhood at night, said John Conley, Vista’s director of community development.

Smith said participants in the program were not allowed to leave the church property.

The program, which operated from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., attracted about 25 vehicles each night. Case workers and volunteers were present each night to help people find temporary shelter, work and other services, Smith said.

Church officials did not return calls for comment Thursday. They defended the program in a letter to the city dated Sept. 11 saying that Vista was violating the congregation’s religious right to help the homeless.

City officials disagreed saying that the church’s permit does not allow it to operate an emergency shelter. Moreover, the program was run by a nonprofit organization, not the church, officials said.

Smith said she believed the program was legal. But she and church officials felt that they could no longer operate the program safely at the site.

Since the program restarted earlier this year, 63 vehicles and 85 people used the parking lot, according to Smith. Of those individuals, nearly half of them are 55 or older and about a dozen are children.

About three quarters of the people who used the program were from Vista and Oceanside, Smith said. They will likely remain in the area and will continue to park wherever they can, she said.

The organization runs a similar program in San Diego. Smith said participants in Vista were offered gas cards for them to use the program in San Diego but many declined because they have jobs in the area and children in local schools, she said.

“It breaks my heart,” Smith said. “It’s been shocking to go through this process and to see this kind of hatred toward members of their own community.”